9 Parenting Behaviors That Raise an Empathetic Child

Parenting behaviors which can raise an empathetic child is a very noble personality trait. The only way that you’re going to effectively raise an empathetic child is to teach children to do likewise. To accomplish this, we the adults must be willing to take on the responsibility. But, children are immature. It’s just the nature of being a child, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Taking this into consideration, instilling behaviors can be a difficult task. Teaching empathy is no different in this respect. It is important to understand that empathy is also an essential social skill. Following are some effective parenting ways to raise an empathetic child.

Children often have difficulty understanding the rationale behind why someone feels the way that they do. Sadly, there is a multitude of adults that have the exact same problem. Hence, the importance of having a dialogue with children about the “why behind the what” when it comes to emotions.

Parents often attempt to suppress children’s emotions, saying things like “Stop yelling”, “Be a big boy/girl,” etc. This is actually a natural tendency, as parents do not like seeing their children hurt or in pain. However, this can actually stunt a child’s emotional development. More specifically, the child may be less willing to share emotions after being interacted with in such a way. Instead, one of the best parenting behaviors is to acknowledge the child’s feelings and keep the door of communication open.

Children must feel safe when expressing their emotions in order for them to feel loved and welcomed. Parents, understandably so, often praise positive emotions while parenting (e.g. joy, laughter) and criticize negative emotions (e.g. crying, screaming). However, this is not always the best way to go about it. Childhood is a phase of life that we adults often forget about. Try seeing the world through a young child’s eyes instead of your own, as difficult as that can be at times.

Shared experiences among fellow humans is a very powerful thing, and children are no different in this respect. When they witness their parent’s willingness to share their own vulnerabilities, it helps to develop a sense of stability and normalcy within the child. This display of vulnerability can be as simple as apologizing to a child when you’ve made a mistake.

In a study, researchers found that expression of gratitude increases happiness levels by about 25%. Parents can teach and encourage behaviors like gratitude in their children by simply displaying it themselves; or, asking a child to think about the good things in their life. Simply asking a child what their favorite part of the day way can build the foundation for a life of gratitude.

Children often have difficulty understanding the rationale behind why someone feels the way that they do. Sadly, there is a multitude of adults that have the exact same problem. Hence, the importance of having a dialogue with children about the “why behind the what” when it comes to emotions.

Acknowledging isn’t condoning the child’s actions; it’s validating the feelings behind them. In other words, while we may see the behavior as silly, the child is only acting on their emotions. As such, acknowledging emotions evoke a sense of communication, safety, and belonging, in the relationship. Remember, childhood is a developmental phase. It’s perfectly okay to acknowledge emotions.

One great thing about children is they love to be of help to others. This is why it is very important at this stage to provide opportunities for them to do just that. Behavioral practitioners state that a child’s desire to help others is innate. The ability to anticipate the needs of others develops; as it does, helping others becomes its own reward.

If parents are caring and empathetic, even to people they don’t know, the child will likely learn to do the same. Conversely, if parents are cold and repelling to people they don’t know, the child will likely learn that lesson, unfortunately.